Spike's Humanity
by NeoMulder
Summary: This is a story where Spike has a thought to be dead sister. She's a little different than most vampires though and I don't own any of the characters except for a few. Please read and review. If you have ideas for this story, post in the review.
1. Chapter 1: Prophecy Girl Part 1

I gasped as I woke up to pain again. I should've been used to it by now, I thought to myself. It was like this all the time. I had at most maybe ten minutes a day where I wasn't being tortured or "trained", so I was always in pain. Except for on Saturday. I was allowed rest then which I looked forward to, even though I knew the pain would just start over the next day. Every moment free of as much pain as possible was welcome to me. Somedays they would just hurt me when I was tied down. They did this for their amusement. Otherdays, they would put me in the cage with whatever demon or vampire they could scrounge up and they would let us go at it. I only barely won most of these fights. I was punished often for it being so close. While I was resting on Saturday's a teacher would come in and work with me, so I was kept up on the times. It was days like this that I was allowed computer priviliges. I was unsure why, but the people who held me hostage - I wasn't sure who they were - wanted me to evolve with the world. Even though I never went out. This meant that they wanted me to learn about everything that I possibly could.

I was sixteen when they had taken me. For what purpose I was still unsure, but I knew they were planning something. At first they left me human. They tried to make me resent my family, but it was close to an impossibility since I didn't see them anymore and I had no reason to believe anything that was said about them. When they realised that persuading me against those I cared for wasn't going to work they tried to break me by turning me into a vampire. I was sure that when I became a vampire I would be a monster, like the ones who held me, but I somehow managed to remain myself.

From there they did experiments and had fun fighting me and using me. Mostly it was a learn on the job kind of experience. They would take turns beating on me and I would do my best to fight back, mimicking their movements and learning what worked and what didn't. About fifty years after they had sired me, they started bringing in more powerful demons to fight me and in turn teach me. The only reason I hadn't taken them all out by now was because when I wasn't in the cage they kept me weak. They would drug me with an air soluable drug before they put me in the cage and then they would do the same when they brought me back to my small room.

I knew of only one way to get strong enough to take them on and escape from this hell, but they knew I wouldn't take it. I refused to become cruel like them. My teacher was a human. If I drained him I would have the strength to get out of the room they kept me in. In fact, they said that on the day that I did that then their training would be over and they'd let me go, knowing their work was done. They wanted me to become a monster, but so far I wasn't giving them the satisfaction, though it had become increasingly hard to resist. They had taken to cutting my tutor and locking him in the room for several hours. I despise having to drink blood to survive, but I didn't have the self control to resist it when they put it in the room with me. Especially since I knew it didn't come from murder. They gave me blood from bloodbags. I wasn't as averse to drinking from blood bags, but it wasn't something that I mentally enjoyed either. In fact it sickened me that I found pleasure in the taste of blood. That self-loathing was my hold on humanity. Though lately they had been depriving me of any blood, probably because they were punishing me for something.

However, I did need to find a way out of here or someday either in 500 years or in a week I would become like them. I would be a monster and they would unleash me on the world. I couldn't take my tutor's life though. He was still human and if drinking his blood helped me get out of this place it would defeat my reason of wanting out. I didn't want to become a monster. I sighed when the door to my room opened and my teacher walked in, breaking me from my thoughts.

"So, how are you doing today, Nicole?" He asked me with a small smile.

"The same as last Saturday." I murmured softly, looking down. "And you?"

"The same as last Saturday and the Saturday before that." He told me. "Are you ready to learn?"

"Yeah, though I don't know if I have any more to learn by now." I answered, shifting so that he could set his laptop in front of me.

He opened his mouth to answer, but there was a loud bang and suddenly there was red blood gushing from his abdomin and the door to my room was slammed shut and I heard the lock slide into place.

"No!" I screamed. Now it made since why they hadn't been feeding me. They wanted me to be nearly insane with thirst. leapt from my spot on the ground and slammed on the door, trying to get it open. I went on like that for about five minutes before I leaned against it in defeat., the smell of the blood reaching me. I knew I only had a moment more to be myself. I whimpered and turned to the man who had been shot. I 'd never even bothered to learn his name since I figured that they would just replace him soon.

I knelt beside him and gasped softly as my instincts overode my mind and I found myself biting into his throat despite his frightened protests. After a few minutes I found the ability to think cognitively again and I forced myself to pull away before grabbing the small sheet I used as a blanket and wrapping his stomach tightly in it though I knew that it wouldn't do much. He was dead either way.

I quickly turned away from him and kicked at the door with my bare foot. My black shorts and black tanktop were now stained with blood, but it wasn't that noticeable apart from the blood on my skin. After a few kicks the door shattered and I cautiously walked out of the room before breaking into a run for the exit. Surprisingly, I didn't run into any vampires on my way, but I did find a bag full of clothes with a pair of black combat boots sitting next to it when I reached the door. They were keeping to their word. I had done what I didn't want to. I had more or less killed a human and now they were letting me go. When I looked around for a second time I realized why I hadn't seen any of them. They had packed up and left. I was free. From them at least.

I shook my head and scooped up the bag and the shoes before opening the door and heading up the stairs. I didn't know where this let out, but I would rather face the unknown rather than stay with those monsters. When I reached the top of the stairs I realized that I was in what was called a mausoleum. I set the bag down and opened it, finding some wipes in it along with clothing. I pulled the wipes out and cleaned myself off before pulling off the outfit they had me wear and instead slipped into a pair of appropriate underwear before pulling a pair of dark blue jeans on, a black T-shirt that fit my form well, and a dark red hoody.

I pulled on a pair of black socks before pulling the combat boots on and slinging the bag of clothes onto my bag before stepping out of the mausoleum and looking around.

I had expected to be in a graveyard since that was where mausoleum's were normally placed, but what I hadn't expected was to hear the sounds of fighting. I walked until I could see the fight and when I did I quietly set the bag I held down and watched as a blonde girl did a back roll before getting to her feet and facing the vampire that had assumably attacked her. It was one of the ones who had hurt me, I realized.

The girl pulled out a stake from underneath her jacket and held it at her hips so that the other vampire had a clear look at it. The girl smiled evilly and as the vampire lunged at her she hit him with an out-to-in crescent kick, followed by a high front snap kick. It seemed to stun him for a moment. That moment was all she needed to slam the stake into his chest. He fell over backwards and burst into ash as he hit the ground.

"Three in one night." The girl murmured. "Giles would be so proud."

I frowned and tilted my head, wondering if I should run when the girl looked up at me.

"I guess I should make it four." She murmured, walking towards me.

I looked at her with fear, reluctant to run and reluctant to stay. "It'd probably be a close fight."

"Cocky, are we?" The girl asked me as she casually twirled the stake in her hand.

"You're one to talk." I replied, leaning against a gravestone. "Do you always stake first and ask questions later?"

"Generally, yeah." The girl answered me. "Are we gonna fight or not?"

"That's up to you." I answered when a sudden thought entered my mind. This girl could help save the man down in the mausoleum. "But if you're interested in saving a life, you'll wait till later to throw punches around."

"What are you talking about?" She demanded.

"I didn't mean to hurt him." I told her. "They locked me up and didn't feed me and then they made him bleed. Please help him and then you can do whatever you want to me."

She looked at me in disbelief before she let out a laugh. "Trying to distract me so you can get away, huh? I didn't realize I'd made that much of a reputation."

I frowned. She didn't believe me. Well, then. I'd have to bring the help to him. "Fine, then. Have it your way."

I pushed away from the headstone and casually began walking around her before quickly throwing out a high kick, getting ready for a leg sweep since I was sure she would be able to block or dodge this hit. She didn't disappoint and as she blocked I was already dropping to my left arm and sweeping my left leg at her legs before bringing my right at them as she jumped to dodge my sweep. She dodged my left leg, but my right caught her shins and knocked her out of the air and she landed in a roll as I leapt to my feet.

"You aren't that good, are you?" I said. "I think I'll go eat the little girl I have locked up instead."

And with that I headed toward the mausoleum I had come from, heading down the stairs as the girl chased after me. She nearly caught me a few times, but all the time in the cage had toughened me up and I soon reached the small room where the man was bleeding to death, I leapt over his body and stopped beside him. "Please help him."

The girl froze and stared at me. "What are you up to?"

"I'm just trying to save his life." I answered. "Like I said I didn't mean to hurt him. In face he's the first human I've hurt in the whole time I've been a vampire. Please. He doesn't have much more time."

"Help me get him up and get him out of here." She told me and I bent down to help pick him up with her help and together we carried him out of the mausoleum. When we got up into the graveyard again, she called for help after we set him on the grass. After the paramedics came I grabbed the bag of clothes I had and was about to leave when the girl grabbed my arm and started dragging me to...somewhere.

"Where are we going?" I inquired as I followed her. I wasn't scared, but just curious.

"To talk to my Watcher." She answered.

I frowned. "You have a Watcher? Who watches what exactly?"

She spun towards me as we approached a school. "You really don't know."

I shook my head. "Know what?"

"I'm the Slayer." She told me, but I still didn't understand the significance of it. "Fight's all evil? Enemy of all vampires?"

"I still don't understand." I told her and she opened her mouth to speak again, but the ground started shaking and we had to fight to keep our footing. The trees were shaking and car alarms were going off everywhere. This was an earthquake.

"Come on." The girl said after the earthquake stopped and she led me into the school and to what was called a library. I looked around in slight fascination before she shoved me into a large cage, closing the door and locking it. I didn't try to get out or anything, but rather just sat down as she went around and closed all the curtains. "See you tomorrow. Unfortunately." With that she left.

After a moment a man with glasses and short brown hair walked over and looked at me with surprise. I sighed and looked at him. "Are you Giles?"

"Yes. And you are?" He questioned, softly.

"I'm Nicole." I answered, tilting my head to the side as I leaned against the wall.

"Why are you in there?" Giles inquired.

"Um, a girl brought me here and she said that we were going to talk to her Watcher, she put me in here, closed all of the curtains and left." I answered. "I'm guessing you're her Watcher."

"Yes." He said, his tone a little different. "And I'm guessing you're a vampire."

"Yeah." I murmured, looking down. "I wish I wasn't, but here I am. So, why exactly is everyone scared of that girl just because she calls herself the Slayer? And what exactly is a Slayer besides the obvious?"

"You mean you don't know?" Giles asked walking over to pull up a chair and talk to me. I shook my head. "The Slayer keeps the balance between good and evil basically. I'm surprised she didn't kill you."

"She tried to." I murmured. "After I goaded her into it though she probably would've tried before that."

"And why didn't she?" Giles questioned, wary.

"She got distracted after I had her help someone." I answered. "I didn't mean to hurt him. I couldn't control myself."

"You actually expect me to believe that?" Giles questioned of me.

"Yes. Because it's the truth and I haven't given you any reason to think that I'm lying." I said a little snappily.

"Except you're a vampire. That's what vampires do." Giles told me. "They lie and hurt people."

"Well, I don't lie. And this is the first time I've ever hurt anyone and I didn't mean to." I said firmly. "Why would I lie?"

"I don't know yet, but I have some work to do so if you wouldn't mind please keep it down." He told me.

"Fine." I murmured, lying down and drifting to sleep.

I woke up to someone saying, "Morning!" in a rather chipper voice. I looked up to see that the Slayer and her Watcher were standing by the cage I was in. Giles looked at the girl as if she was a ghost. "Wow. The damage seems fairly structural. Are we safe in here?"

"Buffy!" Giles said and I jumped slightly at the volume before I sat up.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Buffy patted her face and looked at him with worry on her face.

"No! Uh, and, and yes, we're, we're safe." Giles indicated a higher level that books were held up at. "Uh, but probably best not to go up there."

"How're you doin' there, Giles? Get much sleep last night?" Buffy asked him, not even sparing me a glance. I sighed. How unfair. I hadn't done anything and it wasn't like I'd chosen to be a vampire.

"Um... I-I-I've been working." Giles said before he looked at me. "And making sure your friend didn't get out, not that she tried to. Surprisingly."

Me, too. I went hunting last night, and it is awfully sweet of you to ask. It's getting hairy out there, Giles. I killed three vampires last night, and one of them was practically on school grounds." Buffy told him, ignoring his comment about me.

"Their numbers are increasing." Giles murmured.

"And they're getting cockier. Look, I'm not loving it. Last night was a pretty close call." Buffy told him.

"Yes." Giles said, distracted. I frowned as I listened.

"Giles, care? I'm putting my life on the line battling the undead. Look, I broke a nail, okay? I'm wearing a press-on. The least you could do is exhibit some casual interest. You could go, 'hmm'." Buffy said, a little annoyed. "And we need to talk about her? Did you get anything out of her?"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry. Um, yes, I'm very glad that you're alright. Uh, I-I need to verify, um... I just can't really talk right now." Giles said, still distracted. "And all I really know is that her names Nicole and there's no history of a vampire named Nicole."

"Fine. That's okay. I can't put it off any longer. I have to meet my terrible fate." Buffy murmured.

"What?!" Giles spun around quickly.

"Biology." Buffy said in explanation. I flinched as the sound of a bell ringing sounded and Buffy left the library to go to what I assumed her next class would be.

**(I'm probably going to make her a half vampire, half human that way she can walk in the sun and more closely relate to Buffy and her friends and be more involved as a character. And she will be able to die but she can come back given the right circumstances and depending on where she's hit though it's always a fifty-fifty. Please review.)**


	2. Chapter 2: Prophecy Girl Part 2

Later Giles was on the phone though with who I was unsure.

"Hello...Uh, this is Giles. Uh...Uh, Rupert Giles." He said into the phone and I looked over at the door when I heard the footsteps of a woman come in. She had short blakc hair in a bob like style and she was wearing classy, but not too classy clothes. "I-I need to see you." He waited a moment. "No, I-I realize that." He waited another moment. "Uh...Come after sundown." He waited as the other person spoke. "Good. I'll see you then."

I looked over as the woman spoke. "You know, that outfit looks just like the one you wore

yesterday. Only wrinklier. Were you here all night?"

"Sorry, uh... I'm not really up to, uh, socializing just now." Giles told her, throwing me a glance. I sighed and sat back against the wall.

"Something's going on, Rupert. And I'm guessing you already know what it is." The woman murmured, looking at me with disgust and slight fear for a moment before returning her attention back to Giles.

"What do you know?" Giles asked her. I scoffed softly at the woman and Giles. Just because I was a vampire they were all hellbent on being as cruel to me as possible without getting close enough to torture me. Yet. I felt a sliver of ice run down my back at the thought.

The woman and Giles both looked over at me, the woman speaking. "I couldn't find anything, but perhaps she knows something. I take it she's in the cage because she's a vampire?"

"Yes." Giles said. "She said her name's Nicole, but there's no history of her in the journals. So, what do you know?"

The last sentence was directed at me and I glared at them. "Not much. All I know is what I've seen on the internet and what I've heard from the vampires that held me captive. However, I'm not telling you anything until you stop treating me like this morning's trash and start treating me as you would anyone else you just met."

"You're a vampire." The woman said. "And let's face it, you pretty much are this morning's trash."

"Well, then you aren't getting anything from me." I told them, angrily. "Have fun searching aimlessly for hours on the internet. Though I assume you have a deadline."

Giles sighed and looked at the woman. "What could it hurt?"

The woman sighed and looked at me. "I'm Ms. Calendar. And I suppose I should apoligize, so..I'm sorry."

I nodded and softened my angry expression before getting to my feet and leaning against the cage. The two of them backed away and I sighed. Right. They didn't trust me at all. "Thank you. All I've found on the internet is reports of unexplained incidents. A cat last week gave birth to a litter of snakes which then ate her. A family was swimming in a lake called Whisper Lake, I believe, when the water suddenly started to boil. There was two deaths. At Mercy Hospital, last night, a boy was born with his eyes facing inwards."

"Where did these take place?" Giles questioned. "What countries?"

"These all happened within a three miles radius of here." I answered. "Which makes it that much more weird."

"And what have you heard from the vampires?" Giles inquired.

"They keep talking about some guy called the Master rising or something." I told him. "But I don't know who that is."

"You don't know who the Master is?" Ms. Calendar asked me. I shook my head.

"Why are you telling us all this?" Giles asked me, his tone slightly suspicious.

"Why wouldn't I?" I murmured. "As far as I know, the vampires are the bad guys. They tortured me for my entire unlife. Why would I help them? I want them dead. At least the ones I know to be evil."

"This is apocalypse stuff." Ms. Calendar commented. "And throw in last night's earthquake, and I'd say we've got a problem. I would say the end is pretty seriously nigh."

"I don't know if I can trust you." Giles told her after studying her for a moment and I frowned. Weren't they friends? I thought I was the one who couldn't be trusted.

"I helped you cast that demon out of the Internet. I think that merits some trust. Look, I'm scared, okay? Oh, plus, I've got this, this crazy monk e-mailing me from Cortona about some Anointed One?" Ms. Calendar told him. There was a demon in the internet? I wondered absently as I listened.

"The Anointed One? But he's dead..." Giles exclaimed.

"Someone's dead?" Ms. Calendar wondered. This is what you call miscommunication, I thought.

"Uh, who is this monk?" Giles queried.

"Uh, a brother Luca something? Keeps sending out global mailings about a prophecy." Ms. Calendar answered. I looked between the two.

"I need you to talk to him, find out everything he knows." Giles instructed her

"Look, Rupert, you haven't told me jack, so what's with the order?" Ms. Calendar demanded angrily.

"Just do it! I'll e-explain later." Giles said, a little distracted.

"You better." She said, firmly.

"I will." He said before she turned and left. Then Giles looked at me. "How can you not know about the Master? And why would you be telling us anything? What game are you playing?"

"I'm not." I said, rolling my eyes. "I genuinely want to help you stop these guys. And I don't know about this Master guy because I've been stuck in a small room for a little over one hundred years. I'm not trying to hurt you or anyone else."

"You attacked Buffy at the cemetery." Giles accused. "Why?"

"I needed to give her a good enough reason to come after me so she could help the man bleeding to death. I would've called someone, but I don't have a phone and frankly I don't even know where I am outside of Sunnydale. It was his best chance of surviving." I answered, looking at Giles, more or less trying to will him to believe me. "Look, I just want to be normal. Or at least as normal as I can be."

"You are a very good liar." Giles said, glaring at me. "Because for a second there I almost believed you, but then I remembered what you are."

I sighed and threw up my hands before turning away from him and sitting down, ignoring him.

I ignored Giles until sundown and even then the only reason I turned around was because I was curious about who he was meeting. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a clear view of the guy so I just leaned back and settled for listening. After a moment I looked over to see Buffy walk in.

"Giles, you're not gonna believe-" She trailed off when she saw me and her expression turned cold before she looked over to Giles's office. I looked over as best I could and barely saw someone pass in front of the door. "Angel..?" Buffy's voice was soft and she carefully made her way towards the office, but stopped when she heard them.

"It can't be." The man who Buffy had called Angel said. "You've gotta be wrong."

"I've checked it against all my other volumes. It's very real." Giles said, his voice full of silent despair.

"Well, there's gotta be some way around it." Angel's voice said.

"Listen. Some prophecies are, are a bit dodgy. They're, they're mutable. Buffy herself has, has thwarted them time and time again, but this is the Pergamum Codex. There is nothing in it that does not come to pass." Giles tried to explain. I frowned, wondering what a Codex was. It obviously held prophecies or something.

"Then you're reading it wrong." Angel nearly snarled at Giles.

"I wish to God I were! But it's very plain! Tonight Buffy will face the Master, and she will die." Giles said. I looked at Buffy, who was stunned and I sighed. I would have to get out of this cage by tomorrow night, I thought. And beat her to the punch. At least, I had a bit more advantages then she did. I couldn't let her get hurt. My life was pretty much already over. There was no reason hers needed to be.

"Well, have you verified the text?" Angel asked.

I looked over at Buffy in shock as she started laughing. She backed away from the office slowly and I watched as Angel walked after her. He was tall and had short, spiky black hair.

Buffy stopped by a table and turned to face them. "So that's it, huh? I remember the Slayer dies, next one's called. Wonder who she is." She turned to Giles."Will you train her? Or will they send someone else?"

"Buffy, I.."Giles started, but Buffy cut him off.

"They say how he's gonna kill me?" She asked, her voice small. "Do you think it'll hurt?"

Her voice cracked and tears were flowing down her cheeks. I felt my heart break at the sight. I watched as Angel tried to give her a hug, but she put her hands up and quickly backed away. "Don't touch me!" She turned to Giles. "Were you even gonna tell me?"

"I was hoping that I wouldn't have to. That there was... some way around it. I..." Giles trailed off.

"I've got a way around it. I quit!" Buffy snapped angrily at them.

"It's not that simple." Angel said and I felt anger rise in me. They were basically telling her to go die. Some friends. I opened my mouth to speak, but Buffy beat me to it.

"I'm making it that simple! I quit! I resign, I-I'm fired, you can find someone else to stop the Master from taking over!" Buffy nearly screamed. I would be happy to help, I thought, waiting to see what the guy's reaction would be.

"I'm not sure that anyone else can. All the... the signs indicate..." Giles started, but Buffy interrupted.

"The signs?" Buffy said, hysterical as she picked up a book and threw it at him. "READ ME THE SIGNS!" She threw another at him. "TELL ME MY FORTUNE! YOU'RE SO USEFUL SITTING HERE WITH ALL YOUR BOOKS! YOU'RE REALLY A LOTTA HELP!"

"No, I don't suppose I am." Giles said, his voice soft.

"I know this is hard." Angel said, trying to calm her. I rolled my eyes at him.

"What do you know about this? You're never gonna die!" Buffy yelled at him.

"You think I want anything to happen to you? Do you think I could stand it? We just gotta figure out a way..." Angel said calmly.

"I already did. I quit, remember? Pay attention!" Buffy snapped angrily and I leaned against the cage, waiting.

"Buffy, if the Master rises..." Giles tried to persuade her.

Buffy yanked the cross from around her neck. "I don't care!" After a moment she calmed down. "I don't care. Giles, I'm sixteen years old. I don't wanna die."

It was obvious that Giles was at a loss as Buffy threw down her cross. Angel didn't know what to say either. Buffy walked over to the cage and scooped up the key. I frowned. "What are you doing?"

"I quit so it's no longer my responsibility to keep you in here." Buffy said as she quickly unlocked the cage and swung it open before either of the two could stop her. After that she dropped the key and left the library without looking back.

"I'm confused." I murmured, looking over at Giles and brushing my black hair out of my eyes. "She doesn't trust me and yet she just let me out?"

"You seem much more level headed then most vamps I know." Angel said, his tone cold. "Who are you?"

"I'm Nicole and I'm not interested in going through all of this again." I snapped, looking back over to where Buffy had disappeared. I was slightly surprised when I was suddenly grabbed and slammed into the cage, a stake going towards my heart. I quickly reached up and laced my fingers through the grates in the cage and lifted myself up before kicking Angel in the stomach and dropping back down. "What the hell?! I haven't done anything to any of you and yet you're all hellbent on killing me! And to think I was going to help you! But now I don't really think I should. Buffy, I'm going to help, but you guys? You were just going to send her to die, weren't you? You're the one who trains her, why didn't you offer to do it?" Giles and Angel stared at me. "Oh, right, because you don't want to die. Well, neither does she. So, where exactly is this Master guy going to be?"

Angel stared at me in shock. "You sound like you don't know about him."

"I don't." I answered. "But I need to know where he is if I'm going to kill him."

They both stared at me in shock.

"This doesn't make sense." Giles finally said. "Fine, I'll believe you. For now. But if you make one wrong move, I won't hesitate to kill you."

I nodded. "Are we just going to stand around or are you going to fill me in?"

After they had finished, I grabbed my bag of clothes and headed for one of the bookshelves. "Don't come back her for like the next fifteen minutes."

"Why?" Giles asked as Angel left.

"I'm changing. The clothes I'm in our covered in blood." I answered, pulling out a random outfit before pulling the jacket I wore off and pulling my shirt over my head before replacing the red bra I wore with a dark blue one before pulling on the light blue, one-shoulder dress I had pulled out. It was made to fit tight to the body, but actually be really loose. I stepped out of the boots I wore and pulled off the pants and changed my underwear to the one that matched the bra before pulling on a pair of black skinny jeans, pulling the dress down over it. I gathered the bloody clothes and stuffed them into an empty pouch before grabbing a new pair of socks, pulling them on, and grabbing my stuff.

When I walked out Giles looked at me in surprise. "You're arms...They're covered in bruises and cuts. They should've healed by now."

"Like I've been trying to tell you..." I said, setting down the boots, which were thankfully free of blood, and pulling out a small denim jacket and pulling it on over the dress. "..I'm different." I slipped into the boots and searched for a brush, glad when I found one. I pulled it through my hair before putting it back and looking to Giles. "Don't worry. I'll do my best to stop this guy. I guess you can look at this as a test. To see if I'm really who I say I am. If I'm not, there's no way I would kill the Master. If I am, he'll be dead by tomorrow."

I walked over to one of the couches and reclined back on it, closing my eyes and quickly falling asleep, though not deep enough that I would miss it if he tried to shove a stake through my chest.

When I woke up it was night again and Giles was getting weapons out of the cage and preparing them. I got up, walked over and looked at the weapons, grabbing a pair of daggers and a stake. I slipped the daggers into the boots I wore and started twirling the stake around.

"Okay, so this Master guy tried to open the Hellmouth. But he got stuck in it, and now all the signs are reading that he's gonna get out, which opens the Hellmouth, which brings the demons, which ends the world." Ms. Calendar said as she walked into the library. Giles must have filled her in.

"Yes. That about sums it up, yes." Giles told her.

"The part that gets me, though, is where Buffy is the Vampire Slayer. She's so little." Ms. Calendar murmured and I sighed.

"You know how to get in touch with this, uh, brother Luca chap?" Giles questioned, ignoring her statement.

"Hmm. As far as I can tell, no one can. He's disappeared. Did send out one last global though. A short one." She told him.

"What did it say?" Giles queried, looking at her.

"Isaiah 11:6, which I dutifully looked up." Ms. Calendar answered.

"'The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf, the lion and the fatling together, and the little child to lead them.'" I recited from memory as I joined the conversation.

"You've read the Bible?" Ms. Calendar asked me.

"I found it interesting and boring at the same time." I answered.

"That's kinda warm and fuzzy for a message of doom." Ms. Calendar said, returning to the topic at hand.

"Well, that depends where he's leading them to. Aurelius wrote of the Anointed One, 'The Slayer will not know him, and he will lead her into Hell.'" Giles murmured.

"So Luca thinks the Anointed is a kid." I murmured. That's a good trick. No one would suspect it.

"If the vampire that Buffy killed was in fact not the Anointed, then it may well be." Giles confirmed.

"Well, then we need to warn her." Ms. Calendar said.

"I don't intend involving her at all." Giles told her. I looked over at Ms. Calendar.

"What do you mean?" She asked Giles.

"Buffy's not gonna face the Master. I am." I interjected. Ms. Calendar looked at me with disbelief.

"No, you're not.' Buffy's voice said and we all looked over to see her approaching. She was glaring at me though why I didn't know. "So, I'm looking for a kid, huh? And he'll lead me to the Master?"

"Buffy, I'm not gonna send you out there to die. Now, you were right. I-I've waded around in these old books for so long, I've forgotten what the real world is like. I-it's time I found out." Giles said. "I intend to go with Nicole."

"You're still not going up against the Master." Buffy told him. "And neither is she. You killed those students, didn't you?"

"I haven't killed anyone. I've been in here all day." I told her with a frown.

"It's true." Giles said. "I made sure of it and I've made up my mind."

"So have I." She told him, seeming to believe that I had nothing to do with the killings she was talking about.

"I made up my mine first! I'm older and wiser than you, and just... just do what you're told for once! Alright?" Giles said in angry tones.

"That's not how it goes. I'm the Slayer." Buffy said, looking at me. "Not her."

"I don't care what the books say. I defy prophecy, and I am going. There's nothing you can say will change my mind." Giles told her.

"I know." Buffy said, turning to go, but then she turned back and threw a hard punch at his face, knocking him out. He fell backwards onto the floor and Ms. Calendar scrambled to his aid. Buffy picked up her cross and put it back on as Ms. Calendar picked up Giles head and put it on her lap, looking up at Buffy. "When he wakes up tell him... I don't know. Think of something cool, tell him I said it."

"You fight the Master, and you'll die." I said calmly, still twirling the stake I held.

"Maybe." Buffy said, picking up the crossbow. "Maybe I'll take him with me." She left the library and I quickly followed her.

"I'm coming with you." I said.

"Fine." Buffy said, not even looking at me.

Buffy and I walked a short distance, looking around, when we came upon a little boy.

"Help me..." He said.

Buffy lowered her crossbow and we walked over to him. "It's okay. I know who you are."

The boy held out his hand and Buffy took it before we started walking with the boy.

We walked in silence and when we reached the opening of a type of cave, the boy pointed down before leaving the way we came. Buffy watched him go before we made our way down to the floor below. I looked around at the hundred candles burning.

"Welcome." The Master's voice sounded like it was coming from all directions.

"Thanks for having us." Buffy said. "Y'know, you really oughtta talk to your contractor. Looks like you got some water damage."

"Oh, good. The feeble banter portion of the fight. Why don't we just cut to the..." The Master was cut off as Buffy spun around and launched a bolt in the direction of his voice. Buffy quickly reloaded. "Nice shot. You're not going to kill me with that thing."

"Don't be so sure." Buffy told him.

"You still don't understand your part in all this, do you? You are not the hunter. You are the lamb." He said with a small chuckle. "Though this time you have some unexpected assisstance. Not that it'll do you any good."

Buffy and I slowly walked around, searching for the Master. We came upon a dead and rotted body. We continued our search.

"You know, for someone who's all powerful, you sure do like to hide." I called out.

"I'm waiting for you. I want this moment to last." The Master said to us.

"Well, I don't." Buffy called out.

"You're friend, Slayer. She smells different. Not like a vampire should." The Master. "I think I would go as far as to say that she smells better then you even."

Buffy and I searched for a few moments longer when the Master's voice sounded behind us.

"I understand you not wanting to draw it out." He said.

I spun around, aiming a kick at where I thought his face would be, but Buffy quickly shoved me to the side as she spun around. The Master knocked the crossbow out of her hands and grabbed her by the neck.

I leapt to my feet and threw my arm up to knock the Master's arm away from Buffy's neck. "Run." I told her. I was surprised when she listened. The Master held his hand out toward her and she froze, caught by his hypnotic powers. I threw a backhanded punch at his face and he quickly caught my wrist, snapping it with one sharp twisting motion. I cried out in pain and before I knew it he had me trapped, the same way he had Buffy trapped.

Buffy looked back at him unable to move. He approached her, making slow

twisting motions with his hand, making me follow before he shoved me against the wall, chaining my broken wrist to the wall so I couldn't help her. He walked up behind Buffy, gently taking off her leather jacket, letting it fall to the ground. Buffy was panting hard with fear.

"You tried. It was noble of you. You heard the prophecy that I was about to break free and you came to stop me. But prophecies are tricky creatures. They don't tell you everything. " The Master said before whispering softly, though I could still hear. "You're the

one that sets me free!" He gloated. "If you hadn't come, I couldn't go. Think about that!"

"Let her go." I said angrily though I was just as scared as she was.

The Master ignored me, waiting a moment longer before he bent down and bit the base of her neck, drinking a few sips before letting her go. "Oh, God! The power!" Buffy fell to her knees. "And by the way..." The Master said as Buffy fell face first into a pool of water. "I like your dress." He walked over to me, undoing the cuff on my wrist before he pulled me to my feet. I hissed and kicked at the back of his knee. He yanked me to the side, throwing me off balance before he pulled me over to the edge of his confines, pushing against the field. He forced his free hand through and his confines broke down in a burst of light and energy. He started up out of his lair, pulling me with him.

"You're a monster." I snarled at him and he pushed me against the wall, hard.

"So are you, my dear." He whispered in my ear. "And you're going to be the one to restore me to full power."

The Master pulled me over to the school, pulling me up to the roof, looking out at the view before he smiled. He let go of my arm though he kept a firm grip on me with his hypnotic powers. "My world!" He said. "Oh, my beautiful world!"

The Master sighed before he pulled me over to him, forcing me to turn around so that my back was up against his chest. He carefully and gently brushed my hair away from my neck before rearing back and biting into my flesh harshly, his hands gripping my arms hard enough to bruise as his nails cut into my skin. I struggled against him as a small cry of pain escaped my lips as he bit deeper, almost as if he had gone into a frenzy at the taste of my blood. After a moment, my head fell back onto his shoulder and my eyes slid Mater pulled away and let me drop to the ground. After a moment he spoke. "Yes. Come forth, my child. Come into my world."

I was surprised when I heard Buffy's voice. "I don't think it's yours just yet."

"You're dead!" The Master's voice was full of surprise

"I may be dead, but I'm still pretty. Which is more than I can say for you." Buffy said, her voice free of fear.

"You were destined to die! It was written!" The Master protested.

"What can I say? I flunked the written." Buffy murmured.

The Master growled and after a moment he spoke again. "Come here! Did you really think you could best me here when you couldn't below?"

"You have fruit punch mouth." Buffy's said and after a moment I forced my eyes open. I had said that I would help her.

"What?" The Master said in shock.

She swung a wide hard punch to his mouth, and he fell down. "Save the hypnosis crap for the tourists."

As he got up she did a swinging roundhouse kick that connected squarely with his face. He swiped at her and she jerked back, but he managed to slice her with his fingernails across her upper right chest, drawing blood. She punched him in the kidney. He punched her in the jaw. She tried to punch him again, but he blocked her and punched her in the face, sending her flying backward into the wall behind her. She lay on the ground unconscious. The Master started towards her.

I groaned as I pushed myself up. "Leave her alone." I quickly pushed myself up to my feet, letting the denim coat I wore fall to the ground. My neck was bleeding profusely and I was rather dizzy, but I forced myself to continue standing. The Master came towards me and threw a punch at me. I ducked, coming up with a side snap kick. He caught my leg and I jumped in the air, my hands ready to catch me as I kicked the Master in the face and landing on my hands in a handstand as he let go of my leg, staggering back. I let my legs come down and I stood, facing him. He growled and threw a backhanded slap at me, which I blocked returning with an openhanded punch at his sternum. He blocked and I gasped as his other hand connected with my stomach, though instead of just hitting me, his hand went straight into my body. Pain splintered through me and I found myself, grabbing at his arm trying to pull it out as he shoved his hand deeper in, angling it up until he could close his hand around my heart. I choked as blood forced it's way up my throat and into my mouth. I coughed before crying out as he twisted his hand slightly.

"Where is your courage now?" He asked, twisting his hand again and causing me to scream. I gripped his arm, trying to stop him from ripping my heart out. He leaned forward, burying his fangs in my throat again, causing me to cry out again. I panted softly as my eyes slid closed without my permission. I could feel myself dying, but this wasn't supposed to be possible was it? Vampires couldn't die from blood loss, could they? The Master pulled away from me again. "Will you laugh when my Hell is on Earth?"

"You're that amped about Hell..." Buffy said and I managed to open my eyes again. Buffy grabbed the Master's neck, her other hand going into my stomach and up to his other hand, prying his hands off of my heart before she pulled his hand out, pulling him away from me and towards the skylight. I gasped softly as my legs buckled and I fell to the ground. "Go there!"

I watched as she lifted him up and flipped him over herself and through the skylight. I sighed softly as I heard him connect with something down there. I was assuming it was a sharp piece of wood from Buffy's expression. I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore and they slid shut again.

I let out a cry of pain as my torso was lifted up. My eyes fluttered open and I saw Buffy lifting me up, putting my arm over her shoulders. "I can't do this all by myself." She said, her voice strained as she pulled me to my feet, supporting my weight. I groaned and tried to help her, but my legs wouldn't hold me and my eyes closed again. I felt surprise when someone lifted me up in their arms, bridal style, sending more pain through me. I forced my eyes open again to see Angel turning to go down stairs to the library. My breaths were slowing down as I continued to bleed and my head fell against Angel's shoulder as we arrived at the library.

"Clear a surface." Angel said. "Now!"

It was becoming increasingly more difficult to pull air into my lungs as the seconds ticked by. This time when my eyes closed I couldn't open them again, but after a moment I was laid down on a smooth surface which I guessed was one of the wooden tables.

"Who is she?" I heard an unfamiliar male voice ask. I gasped in pain as someone's cool hands tore the fabric of my dress that was around my wound. I could tell that Angel was doing his best not to cause me pain, but some of it was unavoidable and I think he was more focused on saving my life.

I lost consciousness after a large wave of pain crashed over me and when I came to again, someone was doing compression on my chest while someone else wrapped something that felt like a bandage around my abdomen. I gasped in some air and I heard some relieved sighs.

"Wait, so she's a vampire, but at the same time she's human?" That same unfamiliar voice asked.

"From what they told me, yeah. That about sums it up." Angel said. "And what she said about not ever hurting a human until the night she met Buffy is true."

"So we trust her then?" An unfamiliar female voice asked.

"Until she proves untrustworthy, yeah." Buffy said. "I don't think it's right to doubt her anymore. I mean, she went head to head with the Master to save me and she almost died because of it. That isn't the behaviour of someone who has an ulterior motive."

There was silence for a moment until Angel's voice broke it. "She needs blood. I don't think she'll survive much longer without it. I'll go get some."

I drifted back into unconsciousness.

When I woke up next I felt a cold thick liquid at my lips. My lips parted and I swallowed as the blood slowly poured into my mouth. After a moment I realized that someone was holding me up in a sitting position and slowly feeding me the blood. I drank a bit more and found I could open my eyes. I pulled away from the blood with a grimace, looking up to see that it was Buffy who was supporting me and I had been moved to a couch.

"You saved me." I said, my voice coming out in a whisper. "I thought you didn't trust me."

"I didn't." Buffy told me, setting the bottle of blood down. "But you proved to be trustworthy. I'm sorry. For doubting you. Besides, I was just returning the favor."

"It's fine." I murmured, suddenly really tired. "I understand. How'd you convince Angel to help?"

"I didn't have to." Buffy said. "He was curious about you and he tracked down the vampires that had held you in that room. He got answers from them."

"He said something about me being a vampire, but not at the same time." I remembered, looking over at the doorway to the library when Giles walked in. "How's everyone? Safe?"

"Yes." Giles answered. "Thanks to you and Buffy."

"And the Master?" I felt Buffy stiffen when I spoke of him.

"Dead." She answered, picking up the bottle again. "Here. You need to drink this. It's the only thing keeping you stable at the moment."

I grimaced and positioned myself so that I was using the couch for support before I took the blood from her. My hand shook slightly. I frowned at the blood before taking a small sip.

"I hate this." I said with a sigh. "Having to drink blood to survive, enjoying the taste of it. It's wrong."

"Well, at least this blood didn't come from killing someone." Buffy murmured. I nodded and drank the little that was left in the bottle before I carefully laid down, hissing in pain. "Get some rest. The sun should go down shortly."

"How long have I been sleeping?" I wondered.

"You've been in and out for a week." Giles answered, setting the books he held down.

"Oh." I said before closing my eyes and drifting back to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3: When She Was Bad Part 1

Giles read as I lounged on his couch, watching him read. I'd been staying with him for the summer. I would have stayed with Angel, but I guess Giles wanted to get to know me better and he was pretty curious about me. We'd actually become friends. I'd learned quite a few surprising things about myself too. I could walk in the sun thanks to the experiments that were done on me, which meant I would be able to go to school which started the next day.

My cover story was that I was Giles's niece and had just moved here from england. Sighing, I swung my legs off of the couch and stood, grabbing one of his books off the counter and plopping down on the corner of his desk.

"You've been reading this book for five hours now." I said, plucking it out of his hands. "Why don't you take a break before you damage your eyes?"

"I'm trying to figure something out." He said, taking the book back from me.

I leaned back on my hands and stared at him. "Well, staring at the same book for five hours isn't going to help you. Take a break."

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Giles asked, changing the subject. "You're still healing."

"Fine." I sighed, hopping off of his desk. "Just please get some sleep. For me?"

Giles sighed and set the book down. "Fine, now go get to sleep."

I smiled and headed for the spare room I was currently calling home. I didn't spend much time there, but it was nice to have something that was mine. It was a standard bedroom, really. Bed, lamp, bookshelf, and a dresser. Pretty standard. I let the door swing shut before I changed into my nightie which consisted of black yoga pants and a long sleeved pink top. Quickly crawling under the covers, my stomach knotted as I thought about what the next day would hold for me. I quickly shoved it from my mind and closed my eyes, quickly drifting to sleep.

It seemed like only minutes since I'd gone to sleep when the alarm clock went off. I rolled out of bed, grabbing jeans, black converse, and a black, v-necked t-shirt. I quickly changed into the clothes before I pulled on a black hoody, yanked a brush through my hair and grabbed my book bag. I did my best to ignore the slight stabs of pain the movements caused my stomach and was soon out in the living room, waiting for Giles. Frowning, I looked outside, wincing at the brightness. While the sun didn't hurt me, I was more sensitive to the sun then most humans. I shook my head and slid a pair of dark sunglasses on as Giles came out, ready for work. I smiled and headed out to the car, climbing into the passenger's seat as Giles slid into the driver's side, starting it and heading for the school, which we soon arrived at. The nice thing about a small town.

As soon as Giles had parked, I unbuckled and climbed out of the car. I had already been enrolled, had my schedule, and everything I needed. Now I just needed to get to class.

I waved at Giles and headed inside, taking off the sunglasses and tucking them into my bag. It wasn't long before I spotted Willow and Xander. We'd only met a few times, but I knew that they had been at the library the night that the Master died. Xander seemed to have accepted me, sort of. Though I think that it was partly because I was a girl and he was a guy. I was certain that Willow had. She was kind like that. The one I was worried about was Buffy. She would be back today and I wasn't sure how she would handle things after being able to think it over.

I walked over to Willow and Xander, who were talking to Giles, and I reached them just as Buffy walked over.

Giles looked at her. "How are you?"

"Live and kicking." Buffy said before she looked at me, confused. "How are you here?"

"Oh, the whole sun thing apparently doesn't apply to me. I mean, it still hurts slightly, but it's bearable." I said with a shrug.

"Buffy killed a vampire last night." Willow said and we all looked around to see if anyone had overheard.

"Uh, I think you can get a little more volume if you speak from the diaphragm." Buffy said sarcastically.

"Sorry." Willow said, looking down in slight embarassment.

Ms. Calendar looked shocked and she spoke softly. "We've got vampires? I thought the Hellmouth was closed."

"Well, it's, it's closed, but not gone. The mystical energy that emanates from it is still concentrated in this area." Giles said in explanation.

Xander tucked his hands in his pockets. "Which means we're still the undead's favorite party town."

"I wonder if they're here for any purpose, particularly." Giles said, more to himself then to any of us. I rolled my eyes as I realized where this was going.

"You're the Watcher. I just work here." Buffy said and I started counting down from three in my head. Three, two, one.

"Yes, I-I must consult my books." Giles said, his expression slightly distracted.

"Oh, eight minutes and thirty-three seconds, pay up." Xander said and Willow handed him a dollar. "I called ten minutes before you'd consult your books about something." He looked back to Willow. "Thanks."

A moment later the bell rang and I felt my throat close up as my heart accelerated a little.

"We better get to class." Willow said and we all turned to go to first period.

"Oh, uh, Buffy!" Giles called and I just continued on. He was just asking her about training.

When I got to the class, I just took a seat in the back and the teacher came in a moment later, taking roll and then jumping right into the lesson. Everything was fairly simple, though that was probably just because it was the first day.

I sighed and slumped back into my chair. The excitement was kind of starting to wear off.

**(Sorry that it's so short. I wanted to post something for you guys.)**


	4. Chapter 4: Author's Note, Please Read

Hey, guys

I am currently working on the next chapter of this story and I will do my best to have it posted either today or tomorrow, but I make no promises. I have taken into consideration the requests I've gotten and I can tell you that I will probably integrate them into the story. And if the next chapter's shorter than normal, it's just because I really don't like it when I don't have something new posted for something after it's specifically been asked for. I really enjoy all the reviews by the way. And since this story is for those Spike fans out there, I wanted some opinions and help. So, I've been thinking about Xander and Nicole getting together or maybe Oz after the initial Willow and him break up or I might even consider making another character, but I want your help to create that character. So, if you want me to make another character for Nicole to have as a love interest, post one thing or personality or trait or anything that you want him to have and I will choose the ones that don't clash and then do my best to write the character. Another thing I could use a little bit of help on is how her and Spike should meet. I think Spike comes in on this or the next episode, but how do you want them to meet? Post in review, please.

NeoMulder


	5. Chapter 5: When She Was Bad Part 2

After school was over I headed for the library where I knew that Buffy and Giles would be. Giles had asked me to help see if Buffy had stayed fit and stuff over the summer and had also offered to help train me some more though I didn't think it was necessary. I had gotten plenty of that.

Upon arriving at the library I saw Buffy doing a handstand on the railing of the second floor of the library. I watched with fascination as she let herself fall, doing a flip before landing on her feet and letting herself going into a roll to absorb the impact. She came up out of the roll and threw high kicks at Giles who wore pads on his hands. Once she was done, she began punching a dummy. Her punches became more frantic and rapid and I frowned.

"Buffy, that's enough." Giles said, but she didn't appear to hear him. "Buffy!"

Finally Buffy kicked the dummy, breaking it in half.

"Uh, safe to say you've stayed in shape." Giles said and Buffy turned around breathing hard.

"I'm ready. Whatever they've got coming next, I'm ready." She bunched her hair above her head. "Yeah."

"You okay?" I questioned from my spot by the doors of the library.

The two of them spun around to face me and Buffy nodded. "Yeah."

I nodded. "Okay. Well, Giles, I'm here. Where did you want to start?"

Giles nodded and turned to Buffy. "I figured the two of you could possibly spar for practice and I was actually a bit interested to see Nicole's skillset."

Buffy frowned but nodded. "Yeah sure."

Sighing, I let my bag drop to the ground and let my jacket slip off my shoulders as Buffy got into a fighting stance. Tilting my head to the side, I watched her. She quickly threw a front snap kick at me and I gracefully spun away from and closer to her, lashing out with a backhanded slap, getting ready with a roundhouse. She blocked and I quickly threw my leg around at her back as I grabbed her wrist. My movements cause pain to flare in my stomach from the still healing wound I had, but I ignored it and continued with the fight. I had actually forgotten about it. She blocked my leg with her free leg and was a second away from getting out of my grip when I pushed on her hand with my leg, using her wrist to yank her off balance. Startled, she let go of my leg, stumbling and I quickly took advantage of it, spinning and letting my leg catch the back of her legs, causing her to topple over onto her back and I quickly descended on her. She quickly got her legs between me and her and I used my momentum to grab her legs, - stopping them from connecting with my stomach at the same tiem - throwing myself over top of her and landing on my feet. She reached out and grabbed my ankles and I let my self fall backwards before she could pull my legs out from under me. As I fell, I yanked my legs out of her hands , forcing her legs straight before I rolled backwards - causing more pain to flare - and quickly moved so I was straddling her, holding an imaginary knife to her neck.

She sighed and let herself relax and I carefully got off of her, holding a hand out to help her up. "You did good."

"You totally killed me." She said,sighing and pushing her hair away from her face. "I sucked. You'd make a better slayer than me anyday."

"No. I've just been practicing longer." I said with a frown. "Trust me. You are extremely good. I actually got worried there."

Buffy looked at me thoughtfully for a moment. "How old were you when you were turned?"

"Sixteen." I answered, sitting down on one of the tables in the room.

Looking down at the ground I waited to see if she had any more questions, but it was Giles who spoke next. "Do you remember you're family?"

"Yeah." I murmured, looking up at him as I settled my arms in my lap. "But it doesn't matter, they're all dead."

Just then Xander and Willow decided to show that they had been standing behind the books.

"Do you ever wonder what happened to them after the vampires took you?" The innocent red head asked.

"Well, I was sixteen when they took me, just about to get married so I imagine they looked for me, for a while, but eventually they had to give it up. For six months I thought about getting out and going home, but then they turned me so..." I replied with a shrug.

"Wait, they kept you human for six months before turning you?" Xander asked, his eyebrows knitting together.

"Yeah." I said, repressing a flinch as thoughts of that time filled my mind.

"Why did they keep you?" Giles asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"I don't know, really. They had fun torturing me?" I shrugged. "I don't understand their reasoning and I hope I never do. It doesn't matter anymore and I just want to put it behind me. Now, I'm going to head out, maybe take a walk. Giles, I'll be home around nine."

"Alright." Giles said and I grabbed my stuff, shrugging into my jacket and slinging my bag over my shoulder as I walked towards the door.

"She's staying with you?" Buffy asked from behind me.

"Well, she hardly knows anything about people now a days, so I've been helping her." Giles explained. I thought he was saying something else, but I was already out the doors and headed outside.

I winced at the glare of the sun and pulled my sunglasses out of my bag, sliding them on and grimacing before going over to Giles's car and opening the unlocked door in order to toss my bag in before heading to the Bronze.

Once I got there I strolled over to the back, leaning against the wall and looking around at all of the people. They never failed to fascinate me. Or entertain me. Either one.

I just stayed there and people watched until it was a half an hour from nine, then I left, heading over to Giles's house. As soon as I got there, I said good night, went upstairs and got ready for bed, falling asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

**(Again, I'm sorry if it's shorter than normal and please review.)**


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